A conventional door frame generally includes a pair of 2".times.4" studs nailed together to form a door passageway which is faced-off with a 3/4" face board of pine or similar material. A door is hinged to one side of the door frame, and an opposite edge of the door carries a conventional door key lock and a deadbolt lock, and the latch of each of these moves into and out of a 1" hole drilled into the face board and a portion of the adjacent 2".times.4" stud of the door frame. Typically, a flat latch plate having a latch opening is connected by a pair of short metal screws in overlying relationship with each of the door frame drill holes. However, deadbolt locks/latches and key locks/latches project only minimal distances through the holes of their respective latch plates and into the drill holes of the face plate or face board and the door frame stud(s). One can virtually shatter the 3/4" face board by kicking the door in the area of the latch(es) and, not uncommonly, most break-ins through doors occur in this simplistic manner.
Secondary latching devices, such as chains and sliding bolts, have also been utilized in conjunction with door key locks and door deadbolt locks, but these also are fastened by short screws to the 3/4" door frame face board, and the penetration of the screws into the 2".times.4" stud/frame is minimal.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,570,917 issued on Nov. 5, 1996 to Cutrer is an effort at reinforcing a door lock/latch and/or deadbolt lock/latch through first recognizing that a door casing and/or the face board are the weakest points thereof. Rod members are provided that extend into the wall interior structure enabling the wall interior structure to be reinforced and strengthened thereby. However, the so-called reinforced door latch striker plate and deadbolt striker plate are expensive, relatively speaking, to manufacture and install.
Other prior art patents which attempt to avoid/eliminate door break-ins through the utilization of specially formed reinforced sockets, longer screws, auxiliary reinforcement members, etc. include structures of the type disclosed in the following patents representative of the prior art in this area:
U.S. Pat. No. RE 31,276 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 1,091,453 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 1,853,456 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 2,370,781 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,005,890 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,550,939 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,865,370 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,872,717 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 5,024,475